


You Never Know

by babybam



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cai Xukun-centric, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Injury, M/M, Other IP trainees are present too, Xukun-centric, a little at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 11:16:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16157909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babybam/pseuds/babybam
Summary: Panic seeped into him, he couldn't get injured now. The next performance was just days away!aka Xukun gets injured and is scared of getting eliminated.





	You Never Know

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'm kinda nervous about posting this :o I started this fic like two? three? months ago and it was supposed to be just a short ~1k fic about Xukun getting injured but then it just got out of hand lol.   
> I've been trying to finish it and I really thought about deleting the whole thing a few times but here we are. I'm not 100% happy with it but it is what it is :D Also idk about the title, it's something but when are any of my titles good lmao
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading it anyway!

Xukun stared at himself in the mirror as he repeated the same moves for the nth time. The last time he had checked, it had been almost half four in the morning, the rest of his team had gone back to the dorm over an hour ago already but Xukun had stayed. He felt like he still had to perfect his moves.

When the concept evaluation teams had been readjusted, he had been kicked out of the Dream team, he didn't hold it against any of the trainees because some people had to be kicked out anyway and it just happened that he was one of them. He had been chosen to be part of the Listen to What I Say team, he liked the song and his teammates but it did put some pressure on him and the other members that they had to learn the new choreography and song. They had some troubles since over half of their team was new, it felt almost like the work the three original members had done was for nothing. But everything worked out well and now they just had to practice.

The #1 on Xukun's shirt also made him feel even more pressured and responsible. He didn't take it for granted, to be in the first place. The only way from the top was down and, of course, he did not want his ranking to drop. He knew he needed to work hard for it and be 110% into everything he did. He knew everyone else worked as hard too to try to climb the ranking but he didn't want anyone thinking that he didn't have to work hard to be #1.

His friends had tried to coax him to leave with them but Xukun refused. There was less than a week until the live show where they would be performing in front of everyone and Xukun just wanted to practice as much as possible. Ziyi had popped in their practice room earlier too, asking Xukun if he wanted to leave but Xukun had just shook his head and wished Ziyi a good night with a short kiss.

He swiped the sweat off his face and replayed the song again. He was exhausted, having spent the whole day practicing. He was tired and wanted to sleep, but he wasn't giving up just yet. Just a little more.

His body did all the moves almost automatically so Xukun didn't even realize he spaced out. He was brought back to reality when he suddenly stumbled and pain shot through his right leg, or ankle to be exact. He gasped and tried to balance himself but he couldn't put any weight on his right leg without it giving out.

”Shit, shit,” he mumbled as he dropped to sit on the floor. He gritted his teeth, it hurt so much. He tried pressing on his ankle but he hissed as the pain just intensified.

_This is not good._

Panic seeped into him, he couldn't get injured now. The next performance was just days away and the whole competition wasn't over. Getting injured was the worst thing that could happen, preventing him from participating in anything which could ultimately lead to him not getting enough votes and being eliminated. Xukun shook his head, he wasn't thinking straight. Maybe it wasn't that bad, he would be fine the next day, a little sleep and rest and he'd be as good as new.

He got up, which wasn't easy because he still couldn't put much weight on his right leg. He went to turn off the music and limped to the door, he hoped he wouldn't bump into anyone on his way back to his room. The walk to the room wasn't easy, he had to take support from the walls and doors and he even hopped on one leg but it was too tiring. It took him way longer than it usually would've to reach the dorm.

When he finally reached the room he was glad everyone seemed to be asleep already, he was also glad he had a bottom bunk because even thinking about climbing to the top sounded awful. He didn't really think how he should take a shower because he was sweaty and gross, he just wanted to lay down and fall asleep so he wouldn't have to think about the throbbing pain on his ankle.

He wanted to cry a little as he started to change his clothes, his ankle really hurt and it kinda scared him too. But it wasn't anything unbearable so he just wished it'd be okay in the morning.

-

It wasn't.

He woke up just a few hours later, needing to go back to practicing. His ankle was still hurting a lot, he thought it was hurting more than the previous night but he couldn't be sure. He sat up and tried moving his ankle around a little, he gasped in pain. Trying not to think about it he stood up and grimaced, it was gonna be a long day. He sighed and rubbed his face, he'd have to get through the day pretending he was fine. He didn't want to tell anyone about the injury because it would be made a bigger deal than it is, he'd be fine.

He grimaced as he headed to the bathroom and realized he hadn't showered the night before, he felt gross so the first thing he did was showering. His roommates were already gone so Xukun could get ready in peace and without questions. After showering he quickly got dressed and then dug into his medicine box. He took as many painkillers as he could among the other pills he took, vitamins and such. He wished the painkillers would help make the pain unnoticable and he would be able to practice normally.

He was able to put weight on his ankle, it didn't give out anymore but still his walk to the practice room was slow, partly because he stopped to talk with the trainees he met on the way but mostly because he couldn't walk very fast. He kind of wanted to look for Ziyi but he was afraid the other would see right through him and know something was wrong. So Xukun just went straight to their practice room where all the others were already. He greeted the members and staff quickly and joined the warm up. His ankle reminded of itself every time he stretched it or moved it too much in any way. Xukun just hoped no one saw his pained expressions. Fortunately, the painkillers were numbing the pain a little already.

When the actual dance practice started, it was bad. Xukun kept stumbling and was behind everyone else. He couldn't really do the moves well at all, it wasn't easy to move his ankle. He kept getting questions from the members but also from staff, he tried to brush it off but he was made to take a break a few times.

 

”What's up? Are you okay?” Xiao Gui asked him. They had just come back from their noon lunch break and were just resting for a while.

”Yeah… I don't know what's with me today,” Xukun shrugged, trying to act nonchalant when actually he was in a lot of pain. Xiao Gui narrowed his eyes, obviously not believing Xukun but he didn't say anything. Xukun watched as he jumped up and went to talk to Bu Fan. The two of them glanced his way and Xukun knew they were talking about him.

Xukun was sitting on the floor, near the door, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to get up and dance anymore. The painkillers seemed to have worn off already because the pain had increased and he couldn't even go back to the dorm to get more. He had been messing up the practice the whole day and he didn't think it was fair for the others. None of them could practice properly, Xukun was slowing them down. Slowing down the progress. He felt very guilty and overall bad with the pain throbbing on his ankle.

He bit his lip as he pulled himself up, using the wall for support. He couldn't even hide his limp anymore as he staggered out of the room, he didn't know or care if anyone saw him. His whole body was shaking, especially his legs, because he was in a lot of pain. He headed towards the toilet, just wanting to go somewhere to calm down. He saw a few other trainees on the other end of the corridor but they didn't seem to notice Xukun.

”Kunkun!” someone shouted just as Xukun reached the toilet, he recognized the voice and turned around to see Ziyi running towards him. There was a small frown on Ziyi's face.

”What's up? We haven't seen all day,” Ziyi said. It wasn't entirely Xukun's fault they hadn't seen, while he wasn't ignoring Ziyi per se, he hadn't actually looked for him either. And it seemed like the I Will Always Remember team had been practicing during lunch too because Xukun hadn't seen any of them around.

Xukun gave Ziyi a pained smile and the other frowned even harder. Xukun didn't say anything, just disappeared in the toilet and hoped Ziyi would follow him. And Ziyi did.

”What's wrong?” Ziyi asked when Xukun collapsed on the floor, leaning against the wall.

Xukun didn't think there was any point in hiding the injury anymore. The pain wasn't going anywhere and he couldn't continue practicing like this. He sighed and wiped his watering eyes, Ziyi kneeled next to him and seemed to be eyeing Xukun's trembling hands.

”My ankle. It hurts. I twisted it last night or something,” Xukun mumbled.

”What? And you've been practicing today? Have you told someone?” Ziyi panicked and Xukun shook his head.

”I thought it'd be okay. Can you take my shoe and sock off, I wanna see,” Xukun said and pulled his pant leg up. He hadn't dared to look at his ankle at all in the morning, he had just quickly pulled his socks and shoes on. Ziyi nodded.

”Sorry,” Ziyi said as Xukun hissed when Ziyi touched his ankle.

They both stared at Xukun's ankle in shock. Xukun had actually though it would look just normal, just fine. But it didn't. His ankle was swollen and bruised. Ziyi cursed loudly.

”Oh no,” Xukun mumbled. This was bad.

”Can you move it?”

”Obviously I can, I've been dancing for hours today. But it fucking hurts.”

”Uhh, I think you shouldn't move it for now. We- We need an ambulance,” Ziyi spoke and shot up, running to the door.

 

Ziyi looked around and saw a few other trainees in the corridor, Xiao Gui, Bu Fan and Qin Fen, who Ziyi knew were in the same team with Xukun, were walking towards him and there was Zhengting with the other Yuehua trainees too.

”Someone! Get staff or something! Call an ambulance! We need an ambulance,” Ziyi shouted loudly and everyone froze to look at him. Ziyi glanced back in the toilet, looking at Xukun who looked absolutely miserable sitting on the floor.

”Get the staff and an ambulance! It's Xukun!” Ziyi screamed again and Qin Fen jumped into action, running to the closest practice room, knowing there'd be staff inside. Ziyi himself returned to Xukun, who was pouting at him. They both turned to look at the door when they heard it open.

”What's going on?” Zhengting asked, walking in with the other trainees from the corridor following him. Ziyi pointed at Xukun's ankle and Zhengting gasped.

”What happened?” Zhengting asked as he settled on Xukun's other side.

”I just twisted it last night,” Xukun said, looking at his lap. The other trainees were murmuring, talking to each other and asking if he was okay. Xukun just shrugged, he kind of wasn't. Ziyi was holding his hand and Zhengting was talking but Xukun wasn't listening. It didn't take long until the door opened again and Xukun snapped out of his thoughts. Staff members were rushing in, Qin Fen after them and even more trainees after him. It was starting to get crowded in the toilet and everyone didn't even fit in.

”What is going on?” one of the staff members asked.

Xukun opened his mouth to answer but Ziyi beat him to it.

”Xukun's injured his ankle,” he said. The staff members yelped in surprise and someone was already typing the number to call the ambulance. Two women kneeled in front of Xukun and started checking on his ankle. He flinched and hissed in pain when one of them moved it a little too harshly. Xukun just nodded when she apologized.

”Is it broken?” the other lady asked and Xukun's heart jumped.

”Broken?!” he yelled, his voice cracking. All the trainees around them gasped too and Ziyi squeezed Xukun's hand a little harder.

”The ambulance is coming, they said we should put some ice on it while waiting,” the man, who had made the call, said. One of the women nodded and pushed past all the trainees.

Xukun started to feel a little self-conscious and claustrophobic. The toilet was crowded and everyone's attention was on him. He sighed for the nth time, closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall behind him.

”It'll be okay,” Zhengting said and ruffled Xukun's hair. Xukun doubted it, it won't be okay. The only possible outcome he could see was him leaving Idol Producer. If his ankle was bad, he _couldn't do anything_. And the worst outcome would be his ankle being so fucked up he wouldn't be able to dance ever again. He just hoped it wouldn't be as bad as it seemed to be.

The staff member rushed back with an ice pack and they wrapped it around Xukun's ankle while he was trying not to move. They then started telling the other trainees to get back to practicing, or whatever they had been doing. There was no need for everyone to be ogling Xukun in the toilet and they would just be in the way once the ambulance arrives. The trainees started leaving a bit reluctantly, of course everyone wanted to be there when something was happening. Ziyi refused to leave and Zhengting wanted to stay with Xukun too. Justin and Chengcheng sneaked back in the toilet as well, getting closer to Xukun this time, kneeling right next to Zhengting. They did look apologetic when the staff members eyed them but no one said anything.

”Why didn't you tell anyone you hurt yourself?” Justin asked and Xukun shrugged.

”I thought it wasn't anything too serious and would be just fine,” he said truthfully. Zhengting frowned.

They stayed in the toilet chatting quietly while waiting for the ambulance. The ice seemed to lessen the pain, or it was just Xukun thinking it was. It didn't take too long for the ambulance to arrive and he was helped in. He felt a little ridiculous when he was almost carried in the ambulance when he had been walking the whole day himself anyway, but it did feel nice not having to do anything. Ziyi and the two women came with him while the others had to stay.

-

Hours later they were finally on their way back and Xukun was tired, it wasn't even actually late but he had had a rough day and the pain medication was making him sleepy as well. At least he wasn't in pain anymore.

He was upset too. Very upset. Apparently his ankle wasn't _that_ bad, it was only sprained and most of the pain was caused by him walking and dancing after injuring himself. But the doctor did say he might have made the injury a little worse by using his ankle. He got a brace on it and crutches to use for a while, after a few days he could start walking but he wasn't allowed to dance for a few weeks and he hated it. He was screwed. His future in the show didn't look too good right now. 

 

When they arrived back to the dorms, Xukun headed straight to his room. He was planning on taking a good nap, since there wasn't anything he could do anyway. Ziyi was still following him, he hadn't left his side the whole time and did his best to comfort Xukun, and he appreciated it.

It was quiet in the dorms since everyone was still in the practice rooms. Xukun was glad, he wasn't up for any questions right now. He had too much on his mind already, like how he'd have to have a meeting with the staff about his future in the show and how the Listen to What I Say team had to make changes to the performance since he couldn't participate.

Ziyi opened the door to his room for him and he went straight to the bed. He let the crutches drop on the floor as he climbed behind the clothes he had hung on the top bunk. He slept in a bottom bunk and the clothes acted kinda like a curtain, making his bed darker and more isolated.

 

Ziyi watched as Xukun popped his head out behind the clothes and pouted at him.

”Come sleep with me,” he whined and Ziyi couldn't say no. He knew he should get back to practicing, since he had already wasted half the day, but he also wanted to cuddle Xukun. It wasn't often they got to be alone without any cameras recording them or people being around. The cameras at the dorms weren't on all the time, only sometimes, but usually there were people.

Ziyi wordlessly climbed next to Xukun and pulled him against his chest. He heard Xukun sigh contently. He kissed Xukun's cheek and started petting his hair. It didn't take long for Xukun to fall asleep.

Ziyi laid there for about half an hour but then he had to go find his team. He felt bad when he untangled himself and left Xukun to sleep alone. He pressed one more kiss on Xukun's cheek and he mumbled something in his sleep. Ziyi quietly got out of the room and rushed to the practice rooms.

He bumped into Zhengting and Zhenghao in the corridor, just outside the practice rooms.

”Ziyi!” Zhengting yelped and they rushed to him.

”How is Kunkun? What did they say?” Zhengting asked.

”Well, his ankle is just sprained, so it's nothing too serious but he can't use it for some time and, yeah, he's pretty upset about it. He's sleeping right now,” Ziyi explained briefly. Zhengting nodded.

”I bet he is upset. What's gonna happen now though?” Zhengting wondered and Ziyi just shrugged, he didn't know either.

Zhengting and Zhenghao continued their way to their practice room while Ziyi went to his. His team welcomed him by asking questions about Xukun, as expected, but they were glad he came so they could properly practice the song as a full group.

-

”I'm scared. I will definitely have to leave the show! I'm not even allowed to dance!” Xukun said. It was nearly eight in the morning, Zhou Rui and Zhenghao, his roommates, were both getting ready for practice while Xukun was sitting on his bed thinking about the meeting he had at 9 o'clock with the staff. Ziyi, Zhengting and Chengcheng were also in the room, they had come to check on Xukun.

”You can't know that. There's still weeks left of the show, your ankle will heal and you'll be able to dance sooner than you realize,” Ziyi said and Xukun just sighed.

”Did they say when you can start dancing again?” Chengcheng asked.

”I'll have to use the crutches for a few days, like five or something, and then I can start walking and I have to do some exercises, in three weeks it should be healed completely and I can dance again,” Xukun explained.

”Everything is ruined,” he sighed and fell backwards on the bed, staring at the bottom of the top bunk.

”It'll be okay,” Zhengting said and patted Xukun's stomach.

 

Suddenly the door to the room burst open with Bu Fan and Xiao Gui shouting loudly and a bunch of other trainees yelling behind them too. Zhengting screamed and everyone jumped because of the sudden noise.

”We have snacks!” Bu Fan yelled. Packages of different kinds of snacks were thrown around and all the trainees crammed inside the small room, fortunately their room was the biggest in the dorm at least.

”What the hell,” Xukun mumbled and got hit in the face by a small package of chips. He shrugged and ripped the bag open. He was squeezed between Ziyi and Zhengting on his bed. Zhengting was loudly yelling at someone (Chengcheng?) to not eat all the candies and Xukun just snorted and laid his head on Ziyi's shoulder. The small snack party distracted him so he didn't have time to overthink the meeting or the future.

Some cameramen appeared in the room too to capture everyone bonding over candies and chips. Justin and Xiao Gui were shouting loudly for whatever reason. No one would think it was only past eight in the morning if it wasn't for the trainees who came in wearing their pajamas and yawning just to see what the commotion was about.

When it was ten to nine Ziyi nudged Xukun, who had just been watching Yanjun test how many marshmallows he could fit in his mouth.

”We should get going,” Ziyi said and Xukun nodded, he was nervous again.

”Party's over, time to go practice!” Ziyi shouted and there were a few grumbles here and there but everyone filed out the room quickly, leaving behind a mess which Xukun would have to worry about later.

”Don't be nervous,” Ziyi said to Xukun once everyone else had left. Xukun pouted, how could he not be? Ziyi smiled and cupped Xukun's cheeks with his hands and pressed a kiss on his lips.

Xukun was really hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

-

After the meeting Xukun headed to his team's practice room to see how they were doing. They had to readjust the whole choreography because they were now missing one member and Xukun felt so bad about it. They'd have to work so hard because there were only a couple of days until the performance.

When he entered the room, everyone turned to look at him and surrounded him.

”How are you? How did the meeting go?” Qin Fen asked and Xukun smiled.

”I'm fine, and it went quite well,” he answered and walked further in the room.

The meeting had, in fact, gone well. Way better than he had expected. He had gone in very nervous, trying to think of a good speech which would convince everyone to not make him leave the show. But it turned out that the producers and directors weren't that keen on even kicking him out. It seemed like they had pretty much thought things through. They explained how the time schedule was tight but as his injury wasn't major and should heal in just three weeks, he should be able to participate in the final stages. But that is, of course, only if he makes it past the next elimination.

They were going from 35 down to 20 and Xukun wasn't feeling good about that at all. He couldn't perform, couldn't showcase his talent in any way so how was he gonna get any votes? People wanted to see new performances and you could get new fans by performing too. People would remember the ones performing, the ones who stuck out to them the most, and vote for them. Xukun was afraid he wouldn't make it to the top 20, he could only hope.

”How are you doing though? I'm so sorry you have to do this extra work,” Xukun said with a frown and Xiao Gui just waved his hand.

”It's alright, we've pretty much readjusted the choreo and now we just gotta practice it,” he explained and Xukun nodded. Though he didn't believe it had been or would be as easy as Xiao Gui made it sound like.

”Yeah, we're doing great!” Qin Fen added, making Xukun smile.

”Show me, I wanna see how it looks now,” Xukun said and moved to sit next to the wall. He watched them get into the formation, which was now slightly different than before.

They did good, there was fumbling and stumbling here and there and they weren't in sync all the time but they had barely had 24 hours to readjust. They still had a few days to practice and they'd be just fine.

Xukun clapped once the song ended. ”It looks good! It's like I was never even meant to be there,” he joked and Qin Fen snorted.

 

Xukun stayed with his team for a while, watching them practice and helping them too. Being able to help them made him feel not so useless and he hoped they didn't mind it. After a while Xukun got up from the floor, telling the others he was gonna go find Ziyi, who was probably very eager to know how Xukun's meeting went.

Most of the trainees seemed to be having a break since there was a lot of people in the corridor. Xukun's team seemed to be drawn in by the noise in the hallway and they followed Xukun out. Soon the noise doubled as the trainees continued to speak over each other. Xukun himself tried to get past everyone, though it was hard because of his crutches and the fact that everyone kept stopping him. But fairly quickly he had made it to the practice room where Ziyi's team was practicing, he peeked in and only two people were in, Ziyi and Mubo (plus all the staff members, of course).

”Hi Xukun,” Mubo greeted him while Ziyi let out a loud ”Oh!”

”How did the meeting go?” Ziyi asked immediately as Xukun sat himself on the floor. He proceeded to tell them what had gone down at the meeting, both of them were happy to hear he wasn't leaving and they were supportive when Xukun voiced his worry about possibly being eliminated in the next elimination.

”You have a lot of fans, Kun, they will vote for you no matter what,” Ziyi said. Xukun had to admit that Ziyi was right, he did have fans. But would it be enough?

”I guess,” Xukun sighed. He shuffled himself around a bit so he could lay down and lay his head on Ziyi's thigh. Ziyi and Mubo started discussing something about their song and practicing their vocals, Xukun didn't really pay attention to it but he did hear how great Ziyi sounded.

Soon Zhou Rui and Zhangjing entered the room as well, joining Ziyi and Mubo. No one seemed to mind Xukun's presence and he tried to not disturb them. Xukun briefly thought how it was maybe a little risky being like this with Ziyi since there were cameras everywhere in the room and all staff members too, but it didn't really matter. One could think that it meant nothing, they were just close friends.

When the rest of the team arrived, Xukun was forced to move. They started practicing the choreo and Xukun went to the side to sit and watch. He hadn't seen the whole I Will Always Remember performance before but now that he did, he was amazed. It was beautiful.

He stayed there watching until he got bored. He decided to just pop in the other practice rooms to see what everyone else was doing. He wasn't surprised to find most of the other trainees practicing and he didn't wanna bother them by staying for long so he just strolled on the corridors. It got tiring with the crutches after a while though and he finally decided to head back to his room. He could take a nap.

-

The days went by, leaving Xukun feel useless and bored. He had absolutely nothing to do, except some interviews but it wasn't like he could be interviewed for hours a day. He spent a lot of time in the practice room with his team, even if he couldn't dance himself. But he helped them and watched them practice. The others worked so hard on the performance and Xukun was proud of them, they were doing great.

 

It was three in the morning and most of the other trainees, if not all, had already gone back to the dorms to sleep. It was performance day the next day and everyone wanted to sleep well before that. Xukun himself was sitting in one of the practice rooms. He was leaning against the wall and staring at himself in the mirror. His eyes fell onto the number on his shirt, he looked down and brushed his hands over the paper. His vision blurred with tears but he didn't do anything to stop them from rolling down his cheeks.

He felt so burdened and so disappointed in himself. How could he let this happen to him? Just at the most critical part of the whole show. Just when he was so close to getting to debut. He was letting down all his fans who worked hard to keep him in that first place and fought hard against the haters. He was letting down himself and his team. Throwing away all the hard work he's done during the whole show. But at least his team seemed to be in good condition and the whole performance looked perfect at the rehearsal, though Xukun did feel very sorry for making them do all that extra work.

He sniffled and looked to his left when the door to the room opened. He wasn't expecting anyone, thinking that everyone was sleeping already. Ziyi walked in after seeing Xukun and closed the door behind him.

”Hey, what's wrong?” he asked and sat down next to Xukun. He shrugged and tried wiping some of the tears away, not like it really mattered when they kept coming anyway. Ziyi didn't ask more, he just pulled him in a hug and Xukun sobbed against Ziyi's shoulder. It felt good to let it all out, Ziyi's presence and familiar smell was comforting.

When Xukun had calmed down a little he leaned back and wiped his face with his sleeves.

”I’m just so disappointed in myself,” Xukun started and Ziyi listened quietly when Xukun opened up to him about how he was feeling.

”I understand, but I just want you to know that _no one_ is disappointed in you and you're not letting anyone down. You've worked hard and it's not for nothing. It's not your fault you're injured. You will make it into the top 20 and then you can give everyone the best performance once your ankle is healed. You can debut,” Ziyi said when Xukun was done.

”We both can,” Xukun whispered. Ziyi nodded.

”I love you,” he said and Xukun's heart jumped.

”I love you too.”

”Now, let's get back to the dorms, we need to sleep,” Ziyi said and stood up. He pulled Xukun up as well and handed him the crutches.

Xukun had to admit, he was already feeling better.

-

Xukun was quite happy the next day, it was live performance day and they were always exciting, though he was also sad since he would not be standing on stage himself but he was feeling good anyway. Everyone looked nervous and kept rehearsing their performances, Xukun watched them quietly. He gave a thumbs up to Ziyi who was still practicing his singing, in Xukun's opinion Ziyi sounded great.

Watching the performances was fun as always, it was a completely different thing seeing the performances in the practice rooms or even during the dress rehearsal than in front of the audience during the actual show. Xukun was really excited for his team's performance, while he himself wasn't performing, it was still his team and he wanted to win, wanted them to win.

He clapped quietly and gave his full attention to the TV in the room when his team was announced to perform next. They got on stage and did their introduction, which Xukun had seen them practicing many times. Xukun and most of the other trainees in the room cheered loudly.

Yixing and the members mentioned how Xukun was not able to perform because of an injury, Xukun pouted and Ziyi patted his back. The team was given a little time to speak before the performance and Xikan's speech really surprised Xukun.

”As you know, our Xukun can't perform tonight. He injured his ankle a few days ago and he's really devastated, he really wanted to stand on this stage with us. So we all hope you continue supporting him a lot, he worked very hard on this stage, staying up late and helping us others too. Even after his injury he was there with us even though he couldn't dance himself. Yeah... Thank you,” Xikan spoke and bowed. The crowd screamed and clapped.

Xukun stared at the TV in disbelief. He hadn't expected a speech and he had definitely not asked for one. He bit his lip as some tears gathered in his eyes, he was suddenly feeling emotional, not necessarily because Xikan basically asked people to vote for him but because Xikan cared about him that much. He was very grateful to Xikan, and to his whole team.

The other trainees around him were being loud and suddenly someone pulled him in a hug from the side. The previously empty seat was now occupied by Justin who was hugging him tightly.

”Cute,” Zhengting, who was standing behind the chairs, commented. Xukun wiped away the remaining tears and wrapped his arms around Justin. He looked up to the TV where his team was just starting their performance, everyone in the room was silent, waiting for the performance to begin.

The whole room cheered loudly during the performance and yelled different remarks. Xukun cheered with them but he couldn't help feeling a little jealous and sad. He was supposed to be up there performing as well, he wanted to be there. But he wasn't. He bit his bottom lip, he didn't want to dwell on the negative feelings too much, he had done that enough the past few days and it just made him feel worse, so he just ignored those feelings.

 

”You did so well!” Xukun said to his team members once the performance was over and they came back. Qin Fen smiled and high fived him. Trainees were praising them and everyone was starting to discuss the voting results. Listen to What I Say had been the last performance so now they just had to wait. No one was sitting in their teams anymore but just finding people to chat with, the waiting part was always the worst. It felt too long, especially since they had nothing to do. Stylists came to give some touch ups to everyone's hair and make-up.

Xukun looked behind him where Xikan was talking with Zhengting and Justin.

”Xikan,” Xukun said quietly and poked Xikan, who turned to look at him. ”Thank you,” Xukun continued and Xikan smiled at him.

”It's the least I could do,” he answered and Xukun smiled back at him.

 

After the long wait they all were finally called out to hear the results. Xukun felt his heart drop a little when he saw he got zero votes, the big 0 looked taunting. He had known he would be getting zero votes since he didn't perform but actually seeing it made it worse. Xukun just sighed quietly. Their team as a whole could've done better, but Xukun was proud of them regardless and there hadn't been any faults in the performance.

The top 2 groups were Firewalking and Dream, only Linong's and Justin's votes were to be revealed. The team that got the most votes would get the vote benefit. Everyone groaned when Yixing announced that Linong's and Justin's votes would be revealed during the ranking announcement, which was in two weeks.

-

Xukun had decided to ditch his crutches for the whole day since he could start walking with his injured ankle again, but, oh boy, did he regret it once he was back in the dorm after the live show. His friends too had noticed how his walking got slower when they were on their way back after the live show, he even got a little limp going on. His ankle was _aching_. He collapsed on his bed and sighed, his ankle would need to get used to being used again, he hadn't walked on his ankle or even put much weight on it for days.

”Are you gonna be okay?” Ziyi asked.

”I'll be fine, go to sleep,” Xukun answered and Ziyi nodded, he leaned down to kiss Xukun. Xukun smiled and watched as Ziyi left to go to his room.

Xukun waited for Zhou Rui and Zhenghao to shower first since he himself really didn't feel like standing up, or even moving. Both his roommates were done quite quickly though so eventually he had to move, and he didn't like it. It didn’t take that long to shower and take off all the makeup, and once he was done, he climbed straight back to bed. They would be able to sleep longer than usual, hopefully at least, since they didn’t have to practice anymore, for now. 

-

Soon, too soon, it was time for the next ranking announcement. Everyone was excited and nervous when they sat in their seats, every time it was just as nerve-racking. Xukun didn’t know what to think, he really wished he would make it into top 20 and he felt like he _could_ but he also felt unsure. Ziyi had tried to convince him multiple times that he’d definitely make it, that he would not be able to drop that many ranks, especially since he had a huge fanbase already. But you’d never know.

Xukun was trying not to bite his nails as Yixing started announcing the top 20. He expected himself to be closer to #20 than #10 so he kept wishing to be called out. The longer it went on, the more nervous he got. He was happy seeing his friends get called out, clapping happily for them and hugging them. He was feeling quite uneasy when they passed the 10th place. They were halfway done and he had’t been called out yet. But there was still the 20th place which would be announced last. 

Zhou Rui, who was still sitting next to him, took his hand and squeezed it. He seemed to know how nervous Xukun was. Zhenghao, who had been sitting on his other side, had just been called out, he had been #10 and Xukun was so happy, Zhenghao deserved it.  
Xukun tried to contain himself when Ziyi was announced to be on the 5th place, he really wanted to scream because of how happy he was but he just stood up along the other and clapped, and smiled maybe too widely. They hugged when Ziyi passed him on his way to the front. Xukun didn’t realize how nervous he had been about Ziyi’s place because suddenly he felt more relieved. 

He tensed again though when Yixing announced that he’d announce the candidates for the 1st place, also know as the top 4. He took a deep breath. Zhou Rui and he were squeezing each others hands hard, Xukun wanted to be in the top 4 and Xukun knew Zhou Rui did too, why wouldn’t he? Xukun hoped they’d both make it. 

Xukun gasped when the top 4 was shown on the screen. _He_ was there, along with Justin, Chengcheng and Linong. 

“Oh my god,” he whispered, he couldn’t believe it. He looked at Zhou Rui, he was smiling. 

“We knew you’d make it,” he whispered and Xukun almost wanted to cry. 

He was trembling a little when Yixing started announcing the 4th place. It was Justin. 3rd place was Chencheng and then it was only him and Linong left. He was gonna be in the top 2 and he really couldn’t believe it, he really shouldn’t have doubted his fans and other people who supported him. 

Xukun’s legs were shaking as he walked to the front with Linong, they hugged tightly and stepped on the platforms like Yixing had told them to. 

Yixing took his time teasing them, as always. It was funny, to be honest, but Xukun just wanted to know the results already. Xukun held his breath when Yixing got serious and finally announced the 1st place. 

“Cai Xukun!” 

Xukun’s knees felt weak and he had to stable himself. _He_ was number 1?! He was taken aback and speechless, fortunately Yixing asked Linong to say his speech first. Xukun had a little time to collect himself, which he didn’t actually do. Tears were blurring his vision when Linong finished his speech and handed him the mic. They watched him climb up the stairs to his seat. 

“I-,“ Xukun started and his voice cracked, a few tears rolled down his cheeks. 

“I really can’t believe this, I never thought I’d be able to remain on the 1st place,” he started, sniffling and trying to hold back the sobs. 

“I’m so grateful to all my ikuns and everyone else who has supported me, I couldn’t have done this without you all,” he continued and had to pull back from the mic because he couldn’t stop crying. He sniffled and tried to blink the tears away. 

“I was really mad at myself for getting injured and I really wanted to perform and show more of myself to you all but I couldn’t. I’m so thankful for everyone who voted for me although I couldn’t perform,” he said, sobbing. He paused for a moment and tried to wipe his tears with his sleeve. Taking a deep breath, he continued: “This is our last time filming here, I feel sad because the show is really coming to an end soon. And I feel sad seeing…” his voice cracked and he bit his lip, holding back the tears again. 

“I feel sad seeing so many of my brothers still sitting down there, I feel sad thinking of the brothers who aren’t here anymore. This all is coming to an end soon and I’m happy to have shared so many good memories with everyone here and, once again, I wanna thank everyone who has supported me. Thank you,” he finished his speech and bowed. Everyone clapped loudly and Xukun wiped his tears away. He handed the mic to Yixing and turned to climb up the stairs. 

“Are you okay to..?” Yixing asked him and motioned towards the stairs. Xukun nodded. His ankle had healed completely. He was still wearing a brace but it was smaller than the one he had before, he was told to wear the brace for a couple of weeks. The next week he could start dancing again and he was so excited about it. 

He climbed to his seat at the top, and hugged everyone on his way up. He sat on the chair and looked around, he really couldn’t believe he was still up there. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Leave kudos and comments if u wanna! 
> 
> And let's hope Nine Percent releases some new music soon OTL (ᵍᶦʳˡˢ ʷᵉ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵐᵃᶜᵏ ᵈᵃᵈᵈʸ)


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